Defending champs Galle in dire straits

Tuesday, 28 April 2026 02:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Chamod Battage provided a swift end to the Galle innings / Dhananjaya Lakshan (left) and Ranesh Silva hit fifties apiece for Colombo / Pawantha Weerasinghe scored a forceful 60 for Kandy

Colombo poised to enter NSL 4-day final

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Galle were in dire straits of not being able to defend their National Super League (NSL) 4-day title when they conceded a first innings lead of 64 to Colombo in their match played at the Rangiri Dambulla Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Replying to Colombo’s first innings of 337, Galle were dismissed for 273. By the end of Day Three, Colombo had scored 158-3 in their second innings to lead overall by 222 runs going into the fourth and final day today. Galle’s only chance of qualifying for the final is to beat Colombo outright, which at this stage seems quite improbable. The winner of this contest will join Dambulla in the final, and Colombo at the moment are in pole position to do that.

Galle, resuming at 247-7, had a daunting task of scoring 91 runs with their last three wickets to overhaul Colombo’s total, but managed only 26. Seamer Pramod Madushan, who had wrecked the Galle top order with three wickets, took the key scalp of Muditha Lakshan for 50 (93 balls, 1 four, 1 six) to end with 4/36. Chamod Battage took the remaining two wickets for figures of 3/35. Fifties from Dhananjaya Lakshan (59 off 92 balls, 4 fours) and Ranesh Silva (52* off 95 balls, 6 fours) and their stand of 102 contributed to Colombo’s second innings total.

Dambulla, who have already qualified for the final, were in a strong position to get a big first innings lead over Kandy in their match continued at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Cricket Stadium, Hambantota. By the end of the third day, Kandy were struggling at 224-6 in reply to Dambulla’s first innings of 451.

Kandy lost their first three wickets for 85, of which Pawantha Weerasinghe contributed a forceful 60 off 57 balls (9 fours). Vinuka Rubasinghe (70 off 139 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) and skipper Sahan Arachchige (58 off 124 balls, 5 fours) struck half-centuries apiece in raising the score by 111 runs. But once the stand was broken, Kandy lost three quick wickets for six runs to hand the initiative to Dambulla.

Both matches continue on their fourth and final day today.

Day Three scores

*At Dambulla:

Colombo 337 and 158-3 at close (Asitha Wanninayake 24, Dhananjaya Lakshan 59, Ranesh Silva 52*, Udith Madushan 2/15)

Galle 273 (o/n 247-7) (Oshada Fernando 39, Shehan Fernando 45, Sadeera Samarawickrama 69, Kevin Perera 34, Muditha Lakshan 50, Pramod Madushan 4/36, Kavija Gamage 2/50, Chamod Battage 3/35)

*At Hambantota:

Dambulla 451 (o/n 424-9) (Lasith Croospulle 22, Dhananjaya de Silva 53, Vishad Randika 104, Anjala Bandara 128, Kavindu Pathiratne 78, Dinura Kalupahana 3/76, Jeffrey Vandersay3/53)

Kandy 224-6 at close (Pawantha Weerasinghe 60, Vinuka Rubasinghe 70, Sahan Arachchige 58, Kavindu Pathiratne 2/45, Nisala Abeyratne 2/70)